More Hollowpoint Questions

I'm still working out fit and adjustments for my Hollowpoint, and have a couple of questions for those of you who have been riding them for awhile (and Ska Todd):

If the Fox Float R AVA is most linear on its biggest volume setting, and therefore more like a coil shock (from Fox's website), why is the recommended setup to have the AVA dialed all the way in? (I ask this partly because I know the stock HP Sport came with a Vanilla.) I like the shock; I have it set a little more than half closed and it's great on fast, loose, bumpy descents, but it feels a little too plush on climbs/flats (set at 1/3 sag), and I can't stand in the saddle. Any info on how to tweak this setup?

Does anyone know why Iron Horse ships the HP with almost 2" of headset spacers? I'm 6' 190# with about a 32.5 inseam and bought a large because it felt best on the test ride, but I'm probably between a large and a medium (TT length is about an inch longer than my hardtail, but that bike has a more racing geometry and I wanted something a little longer). Would it mess up the geometry to remove most or all of the spacers and lower the bar a bit? With the risers I feel a little high in the front (with fork at 100mm).

I'm still working out fit and adjustments for my Hollowpoint, and have a couple of questions for those of you who have been riding them for awhile (and Ska Todd):

If the Fox Float R AVA is most linear on its biggest volume setting, and therefore more like a coil shock (from Fox's website), why is the recommended setup to have the AVA dialed all the way in? (I ask this partly because I know the stock HP Sport came with a Vanilla.) I like the shock; I have it set a little more than half closed and it's great on fast, loose, bumpy descents, but it feels a little too plush on climbs/flats (set at 1/3 sag), and I can't stand in the saddle. Any info on how to tweak this setup?

Does anyone know why Iron Horse ships the HP with almost 2" of headset spacers? I'm 6' 190# with about a 32.5 inseam and bought a large because it felt best on the test ride, but I'm probably between a large and a medium (TT length is about an inch longer than my hardtail, but that bike has a more racing geometry and I wanted something a little longer). Would it mess up the geometry to remove most or all of the spacers and lower the bar a bit? With the risers I feel a little high in the front (with fork at 100mm).

Thanks!

I haven't played around with the AVA setting enough to have any suggestions, but I'd be willing to bet they ship with lots of spacers to allow room to adjust for personal preference. You can always take material off a steerer, but you can't put it back on, so ship it long. For a test, take some of the spacers out from under the stem and put them on top of it temporarily. When you get a position you like, you can get rid of the excess spacers and trim the steerer. I'm still running a few spacers on top of the stem on mine because I wasn't sure I was going to like the Talas fork. With a long steerer, I figured I'd be more likely find a buyer if I chose to sell it. I've decided to keep the fork, but haven't gotten around to driving the star nut down and cutting off the excess.

Kathy :^)

Look where you want to go. This is as true in life as it is in mtbiking.

If the Fox Float R AVA is most linear on its biggest volume setting, and therefore more like a coil shock (from Fox's website), why is the recommended setup to have the AVA dialed all the way in? (I ask this partly because I know the stock HP Sport came with a Vanilla.) I like the shock; I have it set a little more than half closed and it's great on fast, loose, bumpy descents, but it feels a little too plush on climbs/flats (set at 1/3 sag), and I can't stand in the saddle. Any info on how to tweak this setup?

We recommend riding w/ the AVA chamber 1/2 to fully closed to help against harsh bottom out. If you still feel the shock is to plush, dial down the AVA to fully closed and give it a spin.

Does anyone know why Iron Horse ships the HP with almost 2" of headset spacers? I'm 6' 190# with about a 32.5 inseam and bought a large because it felt best on the test ride, but I'm probably between a large and a medium (TT length is about an inch longer than my hardtail, but that bike has a more racing geometry and I wanted something a little longer). Would it mess up the geometry to remove most or all of the spacers and lower the bar a bit? With the risers I feel a little high in the front (with fork at 100mm).

As Kathy says, we provide extra spacers so that riders can fine tune their positioning. You can always cut a steerer down but you can't add more material to it. Some riders like an upright style while others prefer a low, race like front end. Spacers allow riders to pick what is best for their style.

Thanks Kathy and Todd! I'll play around with the steerer height before I cut. On every bike I've had before this one I never used more than 1 cm spacer, so this gives me some options. Now if I can just get Bruce to send the promised rear triangle... (I'm one of the people who "bottomed out" against the seat tube).

Dusty. The spacers are there incase you change the neck. Some are taller and some are thinner. That's why there are different size spacers. On my hollowpoint I added a longer neck and actaully have the biggest spacer on the top above the neck. It fits me just right at that point, even 1/2 an inch made a difference. Play around with it and if you can get a few different necks to try that would be good. I tried about 4 before I got it where I wanted it. I am about 6 foot and ride the 21" bike. Was a close out and had no choice, but I now love the bike. It really spreads me out pretty good. Took some gettinguse to, but I love it.